For the last year I have ben buying the discontinued powders so have enough of most except for PB..but I really haven't used it much in the last 4 or so years. Just had a friend give me 6 pounds of 4759 in an 8 lb can. The only powder he was loading..cast bullet rifle shooter. After the new powders get in top production...I wonder what other powders they will discontinue in the IMR line?? You know it's gonna happen!!
New Powders From IMR
- Thread starter novalty
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boatbum101
Member
Looked at load data for the new stuff & I fail to see that it'll do anything the old standbys won't or can't do . Thank God I've enough 4895 , 4064 & 4350 to last me rest of my life . I'd like to get some Reloader 22 for my 6.5X55AI , but might have to settle for kissing cousin Norma MRP .
IMR's new Enduron powders have been out for months. Available most everywhere and locally. They're pushing the new IMR powders and making it plentiful. Hodgdon's on-line site has data for all the new IMR powder plus they have the data in their 2015 and 2016 Annual Manual plus some articles and testing of the new powder.
AveragEd
Member
Actually, there are FOUR new Enduron powders - add IMR4955 to the list. It falls between 4451 and 7977 in burning rate.
Don't knock those new powders until you try them. They produce some of the smallest muzzle velocity deviations I've seen in 40+ years of handloading. That contributes to accuracy and I've shot numerous one-ragged-hole groups with 4451 in two rifles and two of the other ones are just as good (haven't tried 4955 yet).
One drawback is that when loaded for top accuracy, muzzle velocity is down a bit from older powders but if you're shooting targets, that's not a concern and even if you are hunting with them, the drop isn't significant. My Remington 700BDL in .260 REM, for example, shot groups of 0.507" and 0.496" at 2,715 fps using 42.0 grains of 4451 under a 120-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip with velocity deviations of just 8 and 14 fps. That represents about 1/4-inch tighter groups at the expense of about 80 fps of muzzle velocity. If I had more scope magnification on that rifle, I know the groups would shrink some more.
My heavy bench/varmint rifle in 6.5-284 Norma has shot some groups as small as 0.180" with 4451 under a 140-grain Berger VLD. The stuff really works well and at least in these parts, all those Enduron powders are and have been in good supply.
Ed
Don't knock those new powders until you try them. They produce some of the smallest muzzle velocity deviations I've seen in 40+ years of handloading. That contributes to accuracy and I've shot numerous one-ragged-hole groups with 4451 in two rifles and two of the other ones are just as good (haven't tried 4955 yet).
One drawback is that when loaded for top accuracy, muzzle velocity is down a bit from older powders but if you're shooting targets, that's not a concern and even if you are hunting with them, the drop isn't significant. My Remington 700BDL in .260 REM, for example, shot groups of 0.507" and 0.496" at 2,715 fps using 42.0 grains of 4451 under a 120-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip with velocity deviations of just 8 and 14 fps. That represents about 1/4-inch tighter groups at the expense of about 80 fps of muzzle velocity. If I had more scope magnification on that rifle, I know the groups would shrink some more.
My heavy bench/varmint rifle in 6.5-284 Norma has shot some groups as small as 0.180" with 4451 under a 140-grain Berger VLD. The stuff really works well and at least in these parts, all those Enduron powders are and have been in good supply.
Ed
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AveragEd
Member
I read some speculation above about more Hodgdon/IMR/Winchester powders being discontinued. When the discontinuance of several powders was announced about a year and a half ago, I spoke with Hodgdon's about it, as they were axing two of my favrorites, IMR SR4756 and even the fairly new IMR 4007SSC.
I was told that there are two methods of producing gunpowder and the newer method takes one-third the man-hours of the older method so one by one, powders were switched over to the new method. The trouble was that numerous powders could not be made that way and were becoming money-losing propositions, so the ones that weren't setting the sales world on fire were dropped.
Given that, it would seem safe to speculate that any powder that remains in production will continue to be made as long as it is profitable for them to make it.
If one of the discontinued powders is a favorite of yours, commence beating the bushes for what remains on gun shop shelves. Between my own shopping and the help of two members of this forum, I accumulated 15 pounds of SR4756. And by just looking for it, I found four pounds of 4007SSC so the stuff is out there. Small gun shops are your best bet - the "big box" sporting goods stores are where everyone shops, so their supply is long gone. For example, I know where two eight-pound jugs of PB are resting comfortably in plain view on a dealer's shelf. If I still shot trap competitively, they would not be there.
Ed
I was told that there are two methods of producing gunpowder and the newer method takes one-third the man-hours of the older method so one by one, powders were switched over to the new method. The trouble was that numerous powders could not be made that way and were becoming money-losing propositions, so the ones that weren't setting the sales world on fire were dropped.
Given that, it would seem safe to speculate that any powder that remains in production will continue to be made as long as it is profitable for them to make it.
If one of the discontinued powders is a favorite of yours, commence beating the bushes for what remains on gun shop shelves. Between my own shopping and the help of two members of this forum, I accumulated 15 pounds of SR4756. And by just looking for it, I found four pounds of 4007SSC so the stuff is out there. Small gun shops are your best bet - the "big box" sporting goods stores are where everyone shops, so their supply is long gone. For example, I know where two eight-pound jugs of PB are resting comfortably in plain view on a dealer's shelf. If I still shot trap competitively, they would not be there.
Ed
muddocktor
Member
rg1, AveragEd, if you look at the dates on this thread, you will see it first posted in 2014 and was necroed yesterday by a newby named "billfitz". This "billfitz" guy actually has made only 2 posts total on the forums and both were thread necroes from 2014. So that is why the stuff posted in this thread and the other one seems a bit dated.
AveragEd
Member
This sure isn't the first time I failed to notice the thread dates! Thanks for the heads-up.
Ed
Ed
boatbum101
Member
Interesting read about the new powders . While I still shoot 2700 , I no longer compete in rifle events with the exception of cast bullet service rifle @ my local club . Rest of my rifles are for hunting & the thought of new load developement / costs of bullets makes my head hurt . If one competes then as stated above a ballistically stable load will insure smaller group size , especially past 200yds .
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